Vijay's Final Bow: 'Jana Nayagan' Sparks Carnival-Like Celebrations

Chennai: The wait was long but the welcome was thunderous. "Jana Nayagan", the much-delayed final film of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, opened in cinemas on Thursday, to a frantic response from his fans all over the country who celebrated the "Thalapathy" with fireworks, music, and revelry.

In Tamil Nadu, the mood among Vijay's supporters reflected a duality of emotion.

Supporters danced and sang outside cinema halls, overjoyed that the long-delayed film had finally reached the big screen after censor hurdles, yet visibly emotional because "Jana Nayagan" marks Vijay's farewell to cinema.

In Chennai, landmark theatres turned into shrines for the actor.

Landmark theatres such as Rohini SilverScreens, Woodlands, and Casino were decked up with towering "Jana Nayagan" hoardings -- One of them hailed the actor as "the one and only power centre" of Tamil Nadu.

Thousands of fans, many wearing custom-made "Thangamey Thalapathy" T-shirts, flocked to theatres from the early hours.

The frenzy also spilled onto the roads, with heavy traffic congestion reported on GST Road as hundreds of vehicles lined up outside Vettri Cinema in Chromepet, one of the key venues screening "Jana Nayagan".

For the fans, the transition of their idol from "Thalapathy" to chief minister necessitated a newfound civic maturity.

In Madurai, fans noted a deliberate shift in their conduct. A fan named Kaniraj explained, "Usually, if the police told us to stop our celebrations, we would argue fiercely. But today, we listened to them. He sits as a chief minister now, and we must not bring any disrepute to his name. Under the instructions of our MLA Musthafa, we ensured our festival did not cause any public disturbance."

The sentiment was shared by families who queued up at theatres.

In Namakkal, Jyothi Lakshmi brought her young daughter, noting it was crucial not to miss the event. "She skipped school for this because it is her first and his last film in theatres," she shared.

Directed by H Vinoth, "Jana Nayagan" is a political action drama starring Vijay as a former police officer who takes on corrupt forces threatening the country's democratic institutions.

Venkat K Narayana, founder of KVN Productions, attended the film's 'first day, first show' at Vettri Theatre in Chromepet with music composer Anirudh Ravichander.

"We have released in largest number of screens across the country and the movie belongs to the people. We look forward to their love and support... It is very emotional for us because we went through a lot to bring this to theatres. But what is behind us is behind us. Ahead of us is how best a theatrical experience we can give to the audience," Narayana told PTI Videos.

For Ravichander, watching the film on the big screen was a surreal.

"After all the struggle that the film has been through for the audience to enjoy it, to sit with them and feel that is very special," he said.

The celebrations was not limited to Tamil Nadu. Equally enthusiastic scenes unfolded in neighbouring Kerala, Telangana, and Karnataka as admirers gathered in large numbers for the opening-day shows.

In Kozhikode, firecrackers were burst, confetti showered outside theatres, drums reverberated through the streets and jubilant fans danced while carrying giant posters and cutouts of Vijay before thronging packed cinema halls.

And in Hyderabad, cinema halls were decked up with large posters and banners of the film. Released in Telugu as "Jana Nayakudu", the film drew enthusiastic crowds, with admirers celebrating at cinema entrances before heading inside for the opening shows.

Bengaluru wore a festive look as fans danced to the film's song "Thalapathy Kacheri" outside theatres, burst firecrackers and showered confetti to celebrate the arrival of "Jana Nayagan".

The excitement was equally palpable in other parts of the country.

Fans in Delhi and Mumbai also thronged theatres to catch the first glimpse of their hero, with many arriving for early morning shows carrying his posters.

Cheering admirers posed for photographs, chanted "Thalapathy" slogans and celebrated the release outside cinema halls.

"I have been watching his fans for the last 15 years... We came just to see him, watch him doing it, even if the film is not good, it's fine. But we just want to see our Thalapathy in big screen," said a fan, who watched the day's first show at Mumbai's Miraj cinema in Wadala.

In April this year, the film was leaked online but die-hard Vijay fans still turned up in theatres to watch it.

"Actually we didn't expect that it will be released so late but this should be very big hit. Already it's a leaked film but then also people are crazy, we didn't see the movie in the mobile also. We are waiting for so many months," another fan said.

Delhi witnessed packed shows, with many moviegoers describing the film as a bittersweet farewell to the actor, who has announced his exit from cinema to focus on politics.

"It was really great. We were waiting and it was his last movie. So it was really great. I enjoyed it a lot. I watched the scene on YouTube for seven months without watching the full film so that I could enjoy the complete experience in theatres," a fan said after watching the movie.

Another fan said he deliberately avoided watching any leaked clips of the film.

"I waited for so long and did not watch any scene. At the end, I cried... It was completely for Vijay fans, his last film," he said.

Across the oceans, at a cinema in Florida, admirers cut a cake bearing the actor's image, broke into dance inside the auditorium and erupted in cheers during a screening.

"Jana Nayagan" also stars Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain, and Priyamani in pivotal roles.